Please tell me I'm not the only one with holiday ocd?! I want to make sure that its the best holiday possible, but I think I may have issues!

Hi Rachel, I'm exactly the same as you. Not everybody's the same as some like to take charge and ensure that as much as possible goes to plan whilst others like your OH and mine probably know that we will make a good job of it and leave us to it. I don't think you have issues at all I'm not the type of person that will leave a lot to chance- if we're paying a fair whack for a holiday imo we've got to get as much out of it as possible and so some forward planning will ensure that.

Good luck with the planning, just don't stress out too much about it and have a great holiday.

He went away for 5 weeks last year and the day before still hadn't bought a bag or walking shoes! He is so laid back it's infuriating, but he would say the same about my planning!

We're not actually going till may so I'm sure I'll calm down soon, then go crazy the month before we go.

I'll probably be on here getting excited a lot so that he doesn't kill me before we've even set off! :-)

Another obsessive here. I read brochures while I'm having my breakfast and scour the web for ideas whenever possible. I just wish I had more time and money to go away!

I'm the same Rachel! And I'm driving myself mad, never mind everyone else I have to have everything in order in my head months beforehand, and I've downloaded bus timetables, train times, opening hours, you name it!!! I've even streetwalked via google along the roads to double check I know where I'm staying

I can now rest for a little while, as I think I have all the travel arrangements in place. I don't leave till the middle of January, but I have been completely consumed by this holiday since I booked at the beginning of August I have so much info printed off, I'll probably be over my hand luggage allowance with it all

Oh my, I am exactly the same as madsue, it takes me about 5 minutes to get to the bottom of my bookmarks on the internet because it's just full with holiday info! I even think about where I'm going to go / what I'm going to do on certain days!!!! I have list OCD, I write lists for EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. Good job I brought a notebook just to doodle about going on holiday

CourtneeLouise xx

I think you're quite normal Rachel!

This sort of planing falls into 2 categories, the journey to/between hotels and what to do when you're there. I always check I can still get there even if the flight is late, and what the options are. I've had some tight connections that have saved a lot of time because I was ready to run and not stood around looking for timetables.

When I'm there I'll have a prepared list of viable options for excursions depending on what the weather is. Then I don't waste time looking around tourist offices, assuming you can find one. And most importantly, I also know where the best beer is before I leave home! This year I met up with an old friend who by coincedence was in the neighbouring area to me, he'd done no real planning and seemed to have just wandered around trying to work out what he could do. We met for lunch on a wet day, he was soaked, I was dry - now that does take some planning!

But let's go back to your plans. You mention America and trains. Does that mean you intend to use Amtrak? One thing you should always look at when planning an Amtrak journey is the chances of it getting there on time! On their website click the "Routes" tab across the top of the screen and then click "Historical On-Time Performance" in the lower left side - some of the results are horrendous. The NY- Niagara route overall is currently getting just over 80% on time which isn't far off British standards but "Maple Leaf" direct trains to/from Toronto aren't as reliable, especially southbound. Don't forget they have a checkin time and watch for the note in the timetable that says the train may leave earlier than shown at some stations.